


Lost Piece of Strex

by HostileGlitch



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Brainwashing, Original Character(s), Post-Strex Kevin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-25
Updated: 2018-03-26
Packaged: 2019-03-09 01:50:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 19,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13471158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HostileGlitch/pseuds/HostileGlitch
Summary: The old oak doors closed with Kevin still in Night Vale.





	1. Old Oak Doors

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic on ao3, so bear with me as I figure out the way this site operates. If I'm doing something wrong or I need to add a tag or something, just tell me. 
> 
> The beginning of a fic I've been referring to as my Happy AU, though my friends disagree. I'm lowkey frustrated I can't choose to add a chapter as a prologue, because that's what this is.

Steve Carlsburg didn't think he was all that much. He had an average job and an average house. He was a good father, he gave himself that.

So when a guy with black and orange tattoos and a wide, glowing, white-orange eye in his forehead mentioned “fixing” his precious stepdaughter, he reacted violently.

The situation was bizarre to say the least. Steve had been talking to Cecil and the Strex radio host burst in, preaching about smiling gods and productivity. Cecil seemed ready to fight him then and there. Then Kevin threw open one of the old oak doors that had been appearing around town. A light burst through, brighter than the sun. More pure than the sun.

“Wow, I mean…it’s a very pretty light.” The words seemed to be pulled from Steve’s mouth. Yet, he didn’t disagree with them. “You know, that company picnic of yours sure wasn’t fun, but…I got more done in two weeks than in the rest of my life _combined!_ ”

Cecil protested about something. Cecil- Steve thought in the small piece of his mind not entranced by the light- his brother-in-law that never seemed to truly understand.

There was one more person Kevin had to think of, his daughter. His precious Janice. She would grow up under the warm light of productivity. Steve turned towards Kevin. “Kevin, before I step into your weird light, let me ask you about schools real fast. Now, my stepdaughter Janice is ten years old, and…the elementary schools are _OK_ , but I don’t know if I can afford to send her to private school, and she’s a little bit…”

Steve didn’t know how to finish, but it seemed that Kevin understood. “Say no more, Steve Carlsberg!” Kevin smiled. He stepped forward and placed a hand on Steve’s shoulder. An odd gesture considering Steve had nearly half a foot on Kevin. “Desert Bluffs schools are top-notch! Young Janice can take college prep courses as early as 12. Our charter schools even have great medical programs, where they can heal her of all her problems.”

Steve’s thoughts stuttered. “I’m sorry?” Maybe he misheard? There’s no way what Kevin said meant…

Cecil stepped slightly in front of Steve, forcing Kevin to step back. “Janice’s uncle here. What do you mean by ‘heal her’?”

“She can’t walk, right?” Kevin asked.

Cecil said “Yeah, I mean…”

Kevin thought it was an injury, that was the miscommunication. Steve shook his head. “Oh no, since birth.”

Kevin didn’t falter. “Well, rather than build all those crazy ramps and elevators, we just _fix_ people, so that they can become better, and more productive!”

Suddenly, the light pouring in from the doorway _burned._ Steve elbowed Cecil to the side and stepped forward so he and Kevin were face to face. “Now you listen to me!”

Vision red and skin blistering, Steve grabbed the interloper by the shirt collar and lifted him off the ground. Kevin didn’t resist. “You will not change my home town! You will not change my stepbrother! And, Kevin of Desert Bluffs, you will not change, or fix, or do _anything at all_ to my little girl!”

Steve dragged Kevin toward the open doorway and shoved. Instead of disappearing like Steve had expected, the Strex representative hit a solid wall, his laugh turning to a sharp cry of pain. Steve let go and he crumpled to the ground, apparently unconscious.  

Cecil appeared in Steve’s peripheral vision, reaching forward to press his hand against the light. Then, he grabbed the door handle and tried to close it. The interloper’s body was blocking the doorway, so Steve dragged him out of the way and the door clicked shut. The scorching and threatening light was gone and the world lost its transparent appearance. The room settled back to a comfortable darkness. Steve took a deep breath.

Cecil looked down at the crumpled figure at Steve’s feet. “Is he…?”

Kevin groaned and shifted slightly.

“No, he’s not. Let’s just tie him up and leave him for the secret police.”

Steve nodded his agreement. Cecil retrieved some rope from the emergency kit all buildings were required to have and knelt down.

Kevin shifted slightly again. Cecil reached out with rope in hand and Kevin moved. He grabbed Cecil’s wrist and pulled him off balance before digging a small knife into Cecil’s arm.

Cecil cried out and his eye, usually glowing a soft black, was white with a harsh orange glow. Steve was frozen. Kevin laughed, an artificial sound, and Steve tore his eyes from the large amount of blood to Kevin’s face. One of his eyes was purple, where before they had been nearly all white except for the pupil. They were both glinting with… something Steve didn’t quite recognize. Malice? Desperation?

It took a long moment for Steve to come to his senses. He registered, for the first time, the blood seeping out of his brother-in-law’s arm. He reacted before he thought about it, and swung a fist at the stranger’s head. It collided with a solid crack that Steve felt might have been one of his fingers. Kevin collapsed for the second time. Steve kicked the bloody knife across the station floor. 

“Cecil?!” Steve pulled off his sweatshirt and pushed it against Cecil’s hand. The radio host pushed the sweatshirt against his arm. “Are you okay?” Steve grabbed the first aid kit from the emergency kit and pulled it open. 

“I’m alright.” Cecil’s third eye, back to its usual color, faded off his forehead. 

Steve moved his ruined sweatshirt and began to clean the cut. It was deep but not deep enough to have done permanent damage.

Cecil muttered, “I’m live.” He tried to stand up and Steve had to pull him down.

“You’re delirious, stay here.” Steve scolded. Cecil rolled his eyes, which Steve took as a good sign that his brother-in-law was okay.

After the cut, which turned out to be in the shape of a perfect equilateral triangle, was stitched and bandaged, Steve moved to inspect Kevin, still out cold on the floor.

Before he did anything, he made sure Kevin was actually unconscious and not faking. He didn’t react to any of Steve’s prodding so he was probably okay. As Steve grabbed his arm to tie behind his back, Steve felt warm blood on his hands. He twisted Kevin’s arm and saw the same exact injury Cecil had. And it was fresh and bleeding heavily. 

Despite the fact that Kevin was with Strex, and maybe slightly _because_ he was with Strex, Steve grabbed the first aid kit and repeated the same process over again.

After he was done, Steve went to the bathroom to wash his hands. He passed an empty room that he didn’t previously remember. An empty studio, possibly. The door locked from the outside, which seemed odd, but meant it would make a good temporary prison. Steve returned to Cecil’s booth and picked up Kevin, checking again to ensure the guy was actually out cold. Steve set him in the room and locked the door.

He stopped one more time to talk to Cecil. “I’m going to go find Janice. See you around, Cecil.”

Cecil paused in the middle of a sentence and spun in his chair. “Thanks Steve.” Cecil’s eyes were bright with a hope Steve hadn’t seen since before the company picnic. There was a fight going on. It would be a hard fight, but it would be a fight that they would win.


	2. Welcome to Night Vale

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm hoping to post once a week, though I'm a pretty busy person with many responsibilities, so that may not always happen. 
> 
> Thanks to people leaving kudos and comments, you people make my day!

Kevin dreamt in feelings. He dreamt of passion, of a thread of hope so thin and yet so strong, of fear, of hatred and of love. Love. Love for the people around him and the places around him. 

But Kevin hadn't loved anyone or any place for a long time. Kevin had felt infatuation. For Strex, for an endlessly happy smiling god. But never love. 

He remembered feeling those feelings. Long ago. He stood up against Strex. He called into the microphone for revolution. He fought Strex representatives tooth and nail for his radio station. He felt that thread of hope snap. 

Then he was happy. Just. Happy. For work, for corporate sponsored fun events, and for the present. 

Being happy was all he needed to be. 

Kevin awoke with a start. 

The room was dark; the only light came from underneath the door. He was lying on his back with his arms tied in front of him. His right forearm was bandaged. He twisted to sit up, causing a shooting headache that made him see stars. He hissed out a breath and returned to his position lying on the floor. Where was he? The last thing he remembered was drawing some much needed blood from Cecil and then, nothing. What day was it? 

Kevin wondered briefly if he was dead before dismissing the thought. If he was dead, he would be looking upon the welcoming and commanding smile of the ever-smiling god. Not be stuck in some dark and cold room.  

The lock on the door clicked and the door swung open. Kevin turned his head toward the door. Artificial light spilled into the room. Kevin was forced to close his eyes.

Blinking, Kevin opened his eyes again, squinting at the light. The person silhouetted was vaguely familiar, tall and thin with long hair. He was holding some kind of small briefcase.

Kevin accepted the impending torture with detached annoyance. In fact, this would be a great learning opportunity. He would find out how other people torture. He could pick up a couple of techniques. Nobody’s perfect, and one should never pass up an opportunity to learn. That’s part of being a productive Strex employee. He forced himself to sit up again, setting his bound hands on his lap and leaning his back against the wall. 

As Kevin was preparing for his lesson in the methods of Night Vale’s torturing, the silhouette stepped into the room, setting off the automatic lights. Kevin recognized him as the guy who asked about schools. He had a name… Something really fitting… 

Scott? Stephan? That was probably it.

Stephan was pale under the light, with white blond hair that hung nearly to the bottom of his ribcage. One hand was bandaged and the other was carrying a box. His expression was guarded.

Another person appeared in the doorway. Cecil, still with his third eye glowing black on his forehead. He had a pistol. 

Stephan glanced around. “Cecil, I got this.” It was obviously meant to be a whisper, but in the silent room, it carried easily. It was also obvious that this guy had no idea how to whisper. 

“I’m not letting you approach him unarmed.” Cecil countered. “In case you forgot.”

Stephan didn’t respond. He turned back toward Kevin and took a couple steps, standing just out of arm's reach. 

Kevin smiled. The safety on the gun clicked off. 

“I’m ready for my lesson.” Kevin said. 

Stephen looked confused. “What lesson?”

“The lesson in Night Vale’s torture methods. I’m preparing to learn a lot and hopefully incorporate them into my vocabulary.” Kevin began his list with  _ Look incredibly unprepared and nervous, possibly to lower their guard. _

“That’s not- I’m not-” Stephan glanced momentarily over his shoulder at Cecil.

Kevin dropped his smile in an expression of confusion. “You’re not planning on torturing me? Well, I hate to impose my workflow onto yours but this is really the perfect opportunity to do it.”

Stephan stepped back. “You want me to-?” 

“Of course not.” Kevin shrugged. “But it’s how we learn. It’s how I was taught everything I know. Someone does it to you, then you do it to someone else. A chain of people all teaching each other!"

“I’ve changed my mind, I’m getting the secret police.” Cecil pulled out his phone, still holding the gun loosely in one hand. 

“The secret police are just going to kill him.” Stephan protested. 

“Yes, Steve Carlsburg, I know.” Cecil said slowly and clearly. Kevin had been slightly wrong on the blonde guy’s name. “But you can’t give him some scones and suddenly make him stop worshiping Strex or torturing people.”

“We can’t let the secret police have him. The arrows have told me.” Steve said. He still refused to take his eyes off of Kevin. “You can’t shoot him either. He needs to be alive.”

Cecil groaned. “Fine.” He flicked the safety back on and put the gun in the waistband of his offensively bright blue pants. They had something written on the leg but Kevin couldn’t make it out.

Steve stepped towards Kevin again. “I want to make sure the stitches I did yesterday are doing okay.” He spoke in a soft tone as if he was speaking to a small child. Kevin was more than a little annoyed. 

“I know first aid, I can do it.” Kevin didn’t need this stranger taking care of him. Especially if he was a friend of Cecil’s. 

“You’re right handed. How’s that going to work for you?” Cecil asked incredulously. 

Kevin muttered under his breath, but didn’t respond. It pained him to even think it, but Cecil was right. 

As Steve unwrapped the bandages, Kevin tried to appear uninterested. His mind was worryingly empty. There was no Strex advertisements running through his mind, no reminders to be productive, to work hard today so you can work hard tomorrow as well. 

He could still easily recite the Strex manual, all six thousand and some words. The difference was it wasn’t constantly running on loop in his head. 

His thoughts were solely his own.

Kevin recited the Strex manual in his head. He didn’t miss a syllable. All still there.

By the time he was done, Cecil and Steve had left him alone. They hadn’t even said anything to him. Or maybe they had, and Kevin hadn’t noticed. His hands were still bound but the bandage on his arm had been replaced. 

Kevin looked around the studio. It was nearly empty, except for a silver desk and a red office chair. There was a metal panel, about three by four feet, bolted to the wall. 

Kevin didn’t remember this room existing earlier. He had spent a couple of weeks at this studio and he had personally checked every room. There was one booth, not two. There wasn’t even a spare storage room. Unless he was in the basement, but it didn’t feel like he was. The basement was wet and smelled of rotting meat. He opened his third eye and the world grew into sharper focus. Colors that most humans couldn’t see became visible. He tried to see outside, maybe Lauren would let him in… 

Nothing. Not even her refusal. It was like she wasn’t even there. Kevin stopped trying. Lauren was the only person Kevin had kept a constant connection with. He used it to get the most updated information for the broadcast. If she felt like she disappeared, she was either dead or somewhere beyond this world.

Lauren is gone. The secret police are still active. Cecil is still alive. Night Vale’s revolution must have succeeded. Strex must have been pushed out of town. 

He tried to twist out of the binding again but it still held. Something in the back of his mind sent a shiver of unease down his spine. He was in an unfamiliar place, being held captive and his mind was being altered. 

The worry was gone as soon as it arrived though. He could handle this. He prayed to the smiling god for a productive day, and began to recite the Strex motto ten times,  _ Look around you: Strex. Look inside you: Strex. Go to sleep: Strex. Believe in a smiling god. StrexCorp. It is everything _ _. _ About halfway through, he was interrupted by the automatic light flipping off. In the darkness, his unease grew. He moved his bound hands above his head to turn the light back on, but it didn’t work. 

There was a single crack of white light under the door. 

Kevin didn’t remember where he was in the motto. He leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes.

_ His eyes opened to bright sunlight. His surroundings were familiar, but Kevin had no idea from where. It looked like Cecil’s booth, with gleaming surfaces and equipment that was at least ten years too old. But this equipment looked brand new.  _

_ Kevin jumped at a loud pounding outside. The building shook, causing a picture frame to crash to the floor. Kevin ran out of the booth and towards the main entrance of the building to investigate. The crashing and pounding grew louder. Once he turned the final corner, he stopped dead in his tracks. The main lobby was a disaster zone. Pieces of wood and cement covered the floor and there was a thick layer of dust in the air. Most notably, there was a car half in the building. The windshield was splattered with blood and the driver wasn’t moving.  _

_ From around the edge of the car, three people walked into the building. Kevin wanted to run to the driver. He wanted to yell to these all-to-calm strangers to help. He couldn’t move.  _

_ Two of the people were large, rippling with muscle and with hard stares. The third was a woman with graying hair and a wide smile. _

_ “It’s over.” She gestured around her. “You can stop fighting. We can work together. We  _ need  _ you Kevin.” _

<<+>>

Kevin awoke in a cold sweat. The dream was already fading. Something about a radio station? He was in Night Vale’s radio station. He was still being held captive by Cecil. There was no indication of the time that he could see.  

The crack under the door was the only source of light, but something was blocking part of it off. He pushed himself to a stand and unsteadily crossed the room. The light finally flickered on once Kevin reached the door. He blinked a few times, then looked down. Propped up against the door was a black envelope. He picked it up and spent a few minutes opening the envelope with his wrists tied almost together. 

Finally, he pulled out a sheet of black paper with words written in a glowing gold font.

_ Kevin- _ The next word was heavily scratched out. Kevin pondered what it could have been before realizing it would’ve been his last name. Kevin didn’t even realize he had a last name!

_ We at Station Management pride ourselves in knowing who belongs on the radio. We know that you are destined to be a voice. Yet, we are unsure about whether or not you deserve to be a voice after what you have done.  _

_ We are giving you one year’s time (relative to Station Management) to prove yourself under Cecil Palmer’s guidance. If you meet our standards, you will be allowed to remain as a co hosting voice. If you fail to meet our standards in one year’s time or perform an act of extreme disloyalty to Night Vale, you will be disposed of.  _

_ Station Management. _

Clear and concise, something Kevin could admire in management. When Strex returned to Night Vale, maybe they could work with Management instead of fighting them. Of course, Kevin had to pretend to fall in line with the requests until he could plan and get in contact with his superiors. 

A loud rumbling sounded throughout the room, shaking the floor. The sound almost resembled a growl. There was a pause and the sound was repeated. 

The lock on the door clicked and Kevin jumped back as it swung open. Cecil stood in the doorway, a scowl on his face. Kevin instinctively smiled in response. The voice of Night Vale looked disheveled, lavender hair sticking out in all directions and dark circles underneath his eyes.

“Good Morning Cecil.” Kevin broke the silence. “Or whatever time it happens to be.”

“Afternoon.” Cecil responded curtly. 

Silence again. Kevin wondered how Cecil had managed to secure a place on the radio if he couldn’t even make simple conversation. Then again, Kevin hadn’t heard anything come out of Cecil’s broadcasts so maybe he was just the only person who volunteered. 

Cecil sighed and some of his tattoos twisted around his arms in hypnotising patterns. “Station Management has some crazy idea that I’m supposed to” Cecil mimicked a growly voice “‘help you back on track to being a voice’ whatever that’s supposed to mean.”

Kevin nodded his understanding.

“I don’t want to ever see you again. And I certainly don’t want to have to ‘help’ you.” Cecil said. The building growled again. “But Station Management is in charge.”  

“Cecil, I don’t need help being a voice. I already am.” Kevin smiled. 

“Tell Station Management that.” Cecil stepped into the room, flicking a pocket knife open. “You try and take this from me and I shove it into your stomach.” He threatened. “I’m supposed to let you have free rein of my town and use  _ your _ help in  _ my _ station.” 

Cecil slashed through the ropes and Kevin rubbed his wrists, happy to be free. 

There was a moment where they looked at each other, Cecil with obvious disdain on his face, and Kevin with a company smile. 

Kevin brushed past Cecil and out into the hallway. He paused, trying to recall the layout of the station. 

“Where are you going?” Cecil asked. 

Kevin didn’t actually know. He was just ready to get out of that room. He needed a chance to clean up and to straighten his hair again. The edges were starting to curl up and they needed to be fixed as soon as possible. He should return to his apartment for the night. 

Yet, it was still afternoon. He could get a lot more work done at the station before he left. It was important to make proper use of company time after all. 

It was also important to look your best for the job. Make a good impression. Strex didn’t appreciate people showing up to work looking sloppy. 

“I’m heading back to my apartment.” Kevin decided. “I’ll be back before the show starts tonight.”

Cecil opened his mouth and then closed it again. 

“I wouldn’t want to miss our first show as co-hosts!” Kevin laughed. He had zero intentions of actually sharing the show with Cecil. Once Strex returned to Night Vale, assuming they were gone at all, Cecil wouldn't be doing another show. 

He found the break room by the warm smell of coffee. Inside, a teenage girl with dark skin and a dark purple t-shirt leaned up against the counter. She was drinking out of a mug with the words “I’ll drink anything as long as it’s not orange juice” printed on it. 

She started visibly when she noticed Kevin. 

“What are  _ you _ doing here?” She asked. She reached down to her hip, grabbing for a weapon Kevin couldn’t see. 

“I’m just grabbing my stuff.” Kevin moved to the lockers and pulled open the one he remembered putting his stuff in. It was empty. 

“You didn’t answer my question. Why are you  _ here _ . I thought all you Strex people got moved to the previously abandoned mineshaft forever.” The girl snapped. Kevin noticed she had a nametag with “Maureen” printed on it. 

Kevin looked through the other lockers, all of which were empty. “Why are any of us here? Well, because a Smiling God blessed us with lives we can spend bettering Srex!” Kevin answered his own question. Kevin got to the last unlocked locker and still hadn’t found his stuff. 

“I’m going to call the Secret Police if you don’t leave.” Maureen reached toward the landline hanging up on the wall.

Kevin shrugged. “I’m leaving. I need to ask Cecil where my stuff is.” 

Maureen let confusion show through her anger for a second. “What stuff?” 

“You know, keys, phone, wallet, all that stuff.” Kevin never bothered to keep it on him, if anyone stole under Strex management, they would have to time off of work to attend classes about being a good citizen. No one wanted to miss work, so they never stole. 

Maureen didn’t seem very concerned as she said, “All that stuff’s gone. I saw, well more like felt? Or maybe, like, imagined? Anyway, station management threw it all through those old oak doorways.”

Kevin took a steadying breath. He couldn’t be worried about his things. After all, what are material possessions to the Smiling God? He could always get new stuff at the Srex Company Store- 

_ The store that doesn’t exist in Night Vale because Strex is temporarily displaced. _ Kevin reminded himself. 

“Anyway, if you don’t leave now I’m going to call the police. The only reason I haven’t yet is because there’s  _ so _ much paperwork.” Maureen took another sip out of her mug. 

The secret police were not something Kevin wanted to deal with. He knew what they could accomplish. Kevin left the breakroom. 

“A Strex employee never wastes time. They are efficient and use all of their company time properly. A Strex employee is never concerned with loss of property unless the property lost has a great impact on the efficiency of the company.” Kevin recited the familiar phrases under his breath as he exited the radio station. The sky was a vibrant pink and there wasn’t a single cloud to obstruct the view. 

_ Everything is replaceable.  _ Kevin reminded himself. He reached for the hilt of the knife he usually kept on his belt. His hand came up empty. 

His knife was gone. The one thing he had held onto from before Strex blessed his life. He had been too focused on Cecil and everything else to notice. 

He didn’t even remember where he last had it. There was no way it ended up in his locker, he never took it off. He had it when he went in to confront Cecil, before Strex was overrun. It had to have been taken from him while he was unconscious and most likely ended up on the wrong side of the doorways. 

Kevin tried to push it out of his mind. It was just a knife. Not worth wasting valuable company time. He replaced his company smile and began walking toward his apartment. 

He passed a building whose front was in ruins, broken glass and ripped fabric strewn all across the road. A couple citizens were slowly sweeping and clearing rubble. One person made eye contact with him, and for a split second looked happy before it switched to confusion. 

“Who are you?” The question was confrontational. The other people paused and looked up. Kevin walked a couple steps closer. 

“Hello! I’m-” Kevin began. 

“It’s  _ you _ .” The second person spat. She shifted her grip on her broom to hold it like a sword.  

Kevin was taken aback by the hostile response. A community shouldn’t treat it’s members like this. Strex would never allow such negative thoughts to be spoken aloud. This woman, whoever she was, should be taken in for a Strex course on how to act like a respectful member of the community and the company. 

“Don’t act all surprised.” The man next to her cut in. “You know what you and your company did.”

Kevin couldn’t get a word in before the woman yelled. 

“People are dead! And it’s all because of you!” Her voice broke on the last word. The man wrapped his arm around her. The other two people standing nearby and watching murmured something Kevin was too far away to catch. 

Someone stepped out from a bush only a few meters from where Kevin stood. They were wearing a short cape and a leather balaclava revealing only their eyes. For how close they were, Kevin had no idea they were there.

“Police!” The man cried in relief. “Arrest this Strex interloper!”

The police observer’s hand dropped to the hilt of a dagger. Kevin’s did the same, though he knew it wasn’t going to be there. They didn’t draw it though. “I cannot do that. I’m under orders from NVCR management to let him be unless he does something extreme.” The voice was unremarkable except for a strong british accent. 

“Working with Strex isn’t extreme enough?” One of the other people asked. She looked to still be in middle school. 

“My hands are tied.” The police officer said, then proceeded to tie a small length of rope around their wrists, using their teeth to tighten the knot. Kevin was impressed. Confused, but impressed. 

A silence stretched out. Kevin couldn’t help but smirk. “And the police will have no reason to arrest me. I’m not going to do anything illegal.”

The young girl scoffed. 

Kevin continued walking. He was wasting daylight standing and arguing with people who obviously had no idea what was in their best interests. Anyone else he passed by either ignored him or gave him dirty looks. Many people were injured in some way and whoever wasn’t looked exhausted. 

_ It’s unfortunate, _ Kevin thought to himself.  _ So much of this could’ve been avoided if there wasn’t a rebellion. Things could’ve been great. _


	3. Intern Kevin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last of my fully pre-written chapters, so updates may take a bit longer to come out after this. I have a lot going on and writing fics comes after school in importance. ;-;
> 
> This chapter was a ton of fun mostly because Cecil is great. Next chapter one of the things I'm most excited about begins!

Kevin reached his apartment building, which was fortunately still standing and looked relatively undamaged. Lauren had questioned his reasoning for taking a small apartment instead of one of the mansions scattered around Night Vale. She had been so excited about the mansion that she forgot that she would still be in charge of decorating and maintaining it, an extremely hard thing to do. Strex discouraged personal servants, it was a waste of someone who could be using their life to better Strex, not just a single person. 

His apartment was on the top of four floors, Kevin didn’t want to settle too much. He got all the way to the door before he realized he didn’t have his keys.

The first solution that came into his head was to kick down the door. It would be efficient, but only temporarily. The better option was to simply get a new key from the building owner. She had been one of the first people to move into Night Vale and claim a business. Fortunately, she had chosen an apartment on the first floor of the same building. He descended all of the stairs again and found her door. He knocked sharply. 

“Yes?” The woman who answered was not the person Kevin expected. She was middle aged, with blond curly hair and eyes that seemed to bug out of her face. “Who are you?” 

“I’m looking for Erin? The landlord? I thought she lived here?” 

“Erin was Strex, she doesn’t own the building anymore. I do.” The woman spoke with nearly uncontainable emotion, each sentence was accompanied by a dramatic flourish. 

“Well, hello then! I’m Kevin and I live in 403 and I-” The woman’s eyes were beginning to unnerve Kevin. She never seemed to blink. 

“I’m gonna stop you right there.” She held up a hand. “You’re that guy who took Cecil’s place on the radio. You don’t live here.” She reached for something next to the door. 

Kevin took a step back. “Of course I do. I bought it nearly a two months ago.”

The woman brought her hand back into sight, which was filled with what looked like raw rice. She dumped it into her mouth and chewed, crunching loudly. She never broke eye contact during the whole time it took to swallow. “Erin wasn’t in the position to sign contracts. All of them are now void. Now scram!” 

“I just want a key to my apartment. I payed for the place like anyone else; with Strex company credits.” Kevin took a step forward. This woman was taller than him, which was not necessarily a rare occasion. She looked harmless though, Kevin felt confident he could easily win a fight if it came to that. 

She turned to look over her shoulder. “Cookie!” She called. She looked back at Kevin and blinked slowly like she was remembering how to do it. 

Something hissed at Kevin’s feet and he looked down. There was a creature standing between the woman’s legs. It looked like a small dog in shape but instead of fur it had scales. Its mouth was also dripping a blue liquid that sizzled whenever it hit the floor. 

“Cookie, attack.” The dog lunged forward and Kevin jumped back and pressed his back against the wall. The woman slammed the door to her apartment. The dog barked, if it could even be called that. It was a hissing, snapping sound. More acid dripped from its mouth. 

Kevin was not a dog person. 

The dog stepped forward and shifted, preparing to jump. Kevin made a split second decision and started running. He could just break down the door to his apartment, rather than deal with that lady. He found the stairs to the second floor and pulled open the door. He tried to slam it shut but the door wouldn’t move any faster. The dog was nowhere to be seen. 

_ Maybe it was only trained to get people away from its apartment _ . Kevin wondered to himself. He waited until the door clicked shut and climbed the stairs again. He took them two at a time incase the dog was still behind him. He reached the floor of his apartment breathing hard. He opened the door to the hallway and stopped dead. Sitting in front of his apartment door was the dog. It barked again. 

Kevin slowly approached it. “It’s okay. I’m not gonna fight you.” He tried to sound soothing. He had no idea whether or not the dog could understand him but maybe it could at least understand his tone. “Why don’t you just go home?” 

He got close to the dog, who was watching him carefully. Kevin reached over its head to grab the door handle. In a split second he heard an awful hacking sound followed by a burning pain in his hand. He smothered a shout and looked down at his hand. It was blistering and streaming. 

The door handle had been completely melted off. The dog barked its strange bark again and bared its teeth in a close resemblance to a smile. 

It hacked again and Kevin had the instinct to duck as a glob of neon blue acid struck the wall where his head was only a fraction of a second earlier. The wall began to smoke and melt. 

Kevin glanced over at the door again. The entire locking mechanism had been melted which means he could get to his apartment. He just had to get past the dog. 

Another hacking noise and Kevin stood and jumped back. He clutched his burning hand to his chest. It was going numb which Kevin knew was not a good sign. The dog took a couple steps toward Kevin with the same grin-like snarl on its face. He had to kill this thing quickly before acid got somewhere a little more damaging. 

It made the hacking noise again and Kevin quickly jumped to the side, but there wasn’t acid following it this time. The dog continued to hack. It was the opportunity Kevin needed. He sidestepped the dog and pushed his way into his apartment. The familiar scent of blood and skin greeted him. He found the nearest knife and slowly moved back to the door. He had to use his left hand because his right was the one burned but he felt confident enough. 

The dog had stopped hacking. It and Kevin stood in silence for a long moment. Kevin could swear that it was evaluating him as competition. 

“Leave or I kill you.” Kevin threatened. He immediately questioned himself.  _ I’m threatening an animal. This town is making me crazy. _

Against logic, the dog seemed to understand. It turned and ran with its tail between its legs. Kevin stood and made sure it was gone. 

Pain shot up his arm from his injured hand. The blistering had spread up his wrist and the tips of his fingers were turning blue. Despite an extensive first aid knowledge, acid was not something he knew how to treat. He never used it for torture. 

The bathroom had a bunch of stuff in the medicine cabinet. He had never bothered to clean it out. Kevin followed a suspiciously clean stripe down the center of his hallway to the bathroom. Before looking for some kind of medicine, he ran his hand under cold water. It felt soothing to the skin that wasn’t already numb. 

The cabinet was filled with tubes and bottles, each labeled. Whoever had owned this apartment before being happily relocated was obsessed. The one that caught his eye first was a blue bottle with a note taped on. He had to bring it closer to his face to read it. “For the landlords dog”. 

The cream stung like needles as he covered his hand. The pain was probably a good sign that his nerves weren’t completely ruined. After he was done, Kevin tried to move his fingers. They responded about halfway to a fist before stopping.  _ If that dog did permanent damage I’m going to kill it.  _

For the first time, Kevin caught his reflection in the mirror. He usually kept it covered to prevent- There it was… a little voice in the back of his mind telling him to open his third eye, to see the truth.

He shoved the instinct down but he didn’t turn away from the mirror. He realized how similar, once again, he and Cecil looked. Kevin ran his finger down a thin scar on his neck. Cecil had attacked him in whatever the space between the two portals was. Kevin had smiled and welcomed him and Cecil refused to listen. 

Cecil was also waiting for him at the station. 

The thought jarred Kevin back to reality. He turned away from the mirror and went to his room to grab clothes for a shower.  _ This day has gotten to me. _ He thought.  _ I’m getting distracted from my directives. The past is the past, what matters is the present.  _

He thought only the company mandated thoughts as he showered, reapplied the medicine on his hand and wrapped it in a loose bandage. He unwrapped the bandage on his left forearm with difficulty. The stitches looked perfectly fine and Kevin decided it would be too hard to rewrap it. Straightening his hair was also a challenge with his left hand but he managed. 

As he was leaving, he slipped a large knife into his belt and a small one into his jacket sleeve. He grabbed a granola bar to eat on the way over as well. There was a hole in the door about half a foot in diameter but it looked like the acid had stopped eating away. 

_ I’m an upstanding model citizen of Night Vale. _ Kevin cemented the role in his head. He couldn’t afford to get in trouble. He was possibly Strex’s only insider and he would be needed. After all, Strex would return to Night Vale. 

<<+>>

“And you’re back.” Cecil groaned from his office chair. He had paper scattered around his desk and he dropped a stack as he faced the door. 

“I don’t skip out on work. That would lead to an unproductive day.” Kevin mock frowned at the idea. His smile quickly returned. “So, what’s the plan tonight?”

“You are  _ not _ doing my show with me.” Cecil stood up sharply. 

Kevin stepped into the studio and reached for the nearest stack of papers. “Of course I am! Remember, Management’s orders.” The top paper was a handwritten letter addressed “To Mr. Cecil Palmer.”

“Management said I had to tolerate you, not that you had to broadcast.” Cecil ripped the papers from Kevin’s hand and threw them haphazardly on his desk. “Go find something to do elsewhere.”

“Like what? What would be the most productive-” Kevin is cut off. 

“You killed our entire sales department and we don’t have anymore Shauns in Night Vale, go do that.” Cecil waved Kevin out of his booth. 

Kevin shrugged and wandered the hallways until he found a door labeled “Sales.” As plan b’s go, this wouldn’t be a bad one. He would have plenty of time to slowly contact other Strex high-ups and he wouldn’t have to pretend to care about this stupid town all day. 

Inside the room was a small office area broken up into three cubicles. Each had a desk, a chair, a computer and an odd door. Kevin opened one and was greeted with steep stairs leading up. He hadn’t noticed the doors earlier, a bit too focused on killing the guys at the desks. Despite this, he didn’t think the station had a second story

The stairs led to a small windowless room. The floor was roughly carpeted and the walls were bare. There was a single cot, a dresser and an open door leading to a tiny bathroom. The light was dim and the scene was altogether off-putting. There was a visible layer of dust coating every surface. 

Kevin quickly checked the other two rooms. The second was the same as the first, if a little cleaner. The third on the other hand had a messy bed and a few various small items scattered around. It looked like it had been abandoned when the Shauns helped decorate. 

_ Why are there rooms above the cubicles?  _ Kevin returned to one of the desks and powered on a computer.  _ Do people live here?  _

The why’s didn’t really matter, Kevin decided. That's just how it was. 

The computer was password protected under the username Sean. There wasn’t any papers around that had any password written on them. On a whim, Kevin typed “sean” into the password box. The computer unlocked with a loud screech. 

There was only three things on the desktop. Google Chrome, Steam, and a word document labeled “Sales”. The document was empty except for a single sentence: “Once we start selling stuff, put the sales here.” 

Kevin didn’t recognize the app labeled Steam. He double clicked it and it opened to a window advertising sales on video games. Kevin scoffed. Video games were a waste of time. It said so on page forty-two of the Strex employee manual. If this is what people in Night Vale called “working”, it was no wonder Strex ideals were hard to live up to. 

Kevin looked through the few papers on the desk. Most of them were blank or had random lists on them. One looked promising, a long string of addition. Then he saw that it was labeled “How much money I’ll have when I leave the station.” and that it had nothing to do with actual Sales. 

There was nothing for him to do. Cecil probably didn’t know, though. It was just like someone who worked for  _ community radio _ to be so uninformed about the goings-on in their own station. 

Fortunately, Kevin was not one to waste time. He would tell Cecil and begin doing something productive. Kevin walked back to Cecil’s studio only to be stopped by the same intern he met earlier. 

“You can’t go in there. Cecil’s live.” Her arms were crossed and she was leaning against the wall. 

Kevin smiled “Wonderful, it would be a great for me to appeal to Night Vale and talk about-” 

“Cecil told me that my college credits depend on not allowing you to go into that booth. I want my college credits, so you stay out here.” Maureen deadpanned. 

“College credits?” Kevin asked. 

Maureen shrugged. “To get accepted into Night Vale Community College, you need to have a certain number of intern credits around town. Radio interning seemed easy enough and it was one of the shortest waitlists.” 

“I’m surprised Cecil does internships at all. Considering that it’s useless.” Kevin mirrored Maureen’s casual lean against the wall, but kept his arms at his sides. 

“Why is it useless? Sure, most interns die gruesome deaths but I’m sure if we lasted long enough we could work at the station.” Maureen said. 

“Working in radio is a lot more than just surviving the internship. It’s destiny.” 

Maureen scoffed. “Why am I even talking to you? Go be creepy somewhere else.” 

Kevin returned to the sales office and sat at Sean’s computer.  _ If I’m not going to be productive for NVCR, I’ll be productive for Strex.  _

He navigated to the Strex website only to find it under construction. Then the power went out, plunging the room into darkness. 

Kevin felt his way to the door and peered out into the hallway. It was dark as well except for the faint light of the sunset through the windows. 

Was the whole town without power or was it isolated to the station? And what caused it? 

Kevin got the answer to the first question as he turned a corner and saw the town through a window. The station was placed at the top of a small hill and part of the town was visible from the window. Lights were on all over town. 

Cecil’s voice, raised in agitation, drifted down the hallway. “There’s a backup generator downstairs, go turn it on. This is the last thing-“ 

Cecil cut off as he noticed Kevin. “What did you do?” Cecil asked. 

“I didn’t do anything.” Kevin smiled. “I was just being as productive as possible when I was interrupted.” 

“This is what I get for letting you walk around my station unsupervised.” Cecil continued without acknowledging Kevin’s response. “I knew it was a bad idea but I figured if Station management thought it was okay, then maybe you’d prove to be helpful in some way. But, no. You cut the power to my station in the middle of my show.”

“I didn’t do anything.” Kevin repeated but it fell on deaf ears. 

Cecil started typing on his phone. “Just leave, Kevin. Leave and don’t come back.” 

The lights flickered back on. 

_ Is this what it’s like to be fired? _ Kevin thought numbly as he watched Cecil scramble to pick up his broadcast.  _ No, not fired. Temporarily displaced. My place is in radio just like Night Vale’s place is under Strex guidance. _

After all, Strex would be back soon and they would need a radio host after Kevin and Cecil talked. 

He walked back to his apartment, watching the town. He could see silhouettes moving against bright windows, casting distorted shadows against the ground. Most of these people would be up for another few hours, wasting sleep for no reason other than they didn’t want to go to bed yet. 

Kevin much preferred to rise and sleep with the sun. Make the most out of the daylight.

His apartment was in the same shape as when he left it. There was still a melted hole in the door that would need to be fixed sooner rather than later and the apartment was dotted with clean spots. It really ruined the atmosphere of the place. 

A radio was playing, faint but clearly audible piano notes. There was no discernable order or rhythm. Kevin tried to locate the sound, knowing that he didn’t keep a radio in his apartment. Eventually he narrowed it down to a vent on his living room floor. 

Another thing to add to his to do list tomorrow. For now, Kevin was content to sit on his couch with his laptop and a sandwich and check his emails. Lauren always said: “Work hard, work harder, and play almost as hard.” 

The only emails he had were from before the old oak doors closed. Updates on the progress of the fight mostly. All useless now. Kevin sat and did something he hadn't done for a long time, nothing. He finished reading an informational thesis on persuasion, tapping his fingers on his knee. 

The last light of the sun had long since disappeared from the sky when the piano notes finally ended. Kevin looked up from his laptop as Cecil’s voice spoke again. “During the weather, I had Intern Maureen dig into why the power went out in the station. She reports, in a lazy text, that the city council created a virus that all computers or phones that attempt to access Strex websites or information will automatically cut power for the building it took place in. The city council reminds citizens of Night Vale of our motto, “Drink to Forget”. And Maureen, we need to talk about your professionalism. This is frankly an unacceptable report. I won’t put names on who I think caused the power outage, but I guarantee it won’t happen again.

"We also received news about what Erika is planning to do with their newly acquired multi-billion dollar company. Erika suggested that they should sell it, and Erika told Erika that they should just disband it. So that's what Erika did. Strex corp, thankfully, is no more." Kevin stood up, laptop crashing to the floor. They did  _what?_ How did they even acquire Strex, it wasn't for sale? All of Kevin's plans came crashing down around him. He couldn't bring Strex back to Night Vale if there was no longer Strex. 

Cecil kept talking, unaware of the affect his words were having. "All Strex corp employees were laid off, not that there were many left. All Strex bought businesses were returned to their original owners. And Desert Bluffs-" Kevin flinched at the mention of his old town's name. "-They're on their own I guess. I don't care. After this, continue listening for the sound of stars shining down on our town. Goodnight Night Vale, Goodnight.”

Kevin collapsed back onto the couch, hearing the comfortable squelch of the cushions. Just as soon as he settled, he shot back to his feet again. _Strex may be gone, but I can still do what I can to improve this town. Turn it into what Strex would have wanted it to be, but_ better _._

With renewed strength, Kevin picked up his laptop and went to bed. It was long after his usual time, but he was glad he stayed up. He had a purpose again. 

 


	4. To-Do List

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The plot begins. 
> 
> The alternate title for this chapter was "Kevin does things" but ya know. Kind of a filler / transition chapter before major stuff starts happening. Little shorter than usual as well. Sorry :/.

He woke up not feeling as if he had slept at all. The sky was orange and pink with the rising sun without a single cloud in the sky. In a haze, Kevin showered, got dressed in a collared shirt and dress pants, and was halfway through reciting a section of the Strex motto as a vocal warm up before he remembered he wasn’t going to the station today. He didn’t have anywhere to go today.

What would he do with all of his time?

He did have a to-do list on his computer that he pulled up. Most of the things involved buying stuff around town, which posed a problem because he didn’t have his wallet. Most of the businesses wouldn’t accept Strex company credits anyways. The only things he could accomplish were redecorating his apartment, finding Lauren and destroying the radio in his vents.

The radio would be an easy one. The vent wasn’t even screwed down. Kevin knelt down and looked into the vent. It was large, easily able to hold a small human. White fairy lights were strung up but there was no sign of a radio. As he was replacing the vent cover, he noticed a flashing red on the side of the cover.

It was a small circular disk about the size of a quarter. It was way too small to be the radio but Kevin used a knife to pry it off anyways. The blinking light changed to blue.

_A bug._ Kevin realized. He quickly stood and moved to the sink, setting it in the basin before running the water. The device sparked and the light stopped. All Strex employees who were moving into Night Vale were warned that the secret police kept everything that they weren’t able to observe in person under audio surveillance. Kevin had done a thorough sweep but apparently some had been reinstalled.

Kevin was about to begin another sweep when he paused. The secret police wouldn’t bother him as long as he didn’t do anything “extreme”. Was destroying their bugs considered “extreme?”

The last thing he wanted was to end up in police custody. If they didn’t kill him immediately, they’d torture him and then kill him. At least three lower level Strex employees had come to him after just a warning, shaking and muttering. They had been absolutely unproductive.

No, if Kevin was to better Night Vale, he needed to be on the secret police’s good side.

_I’ll need help too, I won’t be able to do this myself. I’ll make this town the most productive place in this desert. Lauren!_ Kevin remembered his boss. She had been unreachable when he tried to reach her, was that only yesterday?

He opened his third eye. He reached out for Lauren, searching for a faint spark of energy. She was connected to him in a way, allowing Kevin to open his eye and see what she was seeing. He found the connection, faint and seeming to stutter in and out of existence, but it was there. She was alive.

“Kevin?!” Her voice was raspy and sharp as the connection snapped into focus. Kevin couldn’t talk to her, but he could hear. She was in a desert, similar in appearance to the one around Desert Bluffs and Night Vale. Wind whipped around her, sending dust into her eyes. Lauren turned in a slow circle, and Kevin saw the golden desert stretching in all directions. There was nothing there except sand. She was alone. “Right, you can’t talk to me,” She muttered to herself.

“It’s good to know you’re alive, at least.” she continued, her voice came in breathless bursts. Kevin wondered if she knew Strex’s fate. “I have my phone and my Strex pocket manual. My phone battery is holding steady at 97 percent, so it might be easier to talk on the phone?”

She continued to spin, and Kevin saw the only noticeable feature in the desert. A mountain with a blinking red light at the very top.

“I don’t know where this place is.” Lauren said. “I can’t seem to get any further from this mountain either. Something is keeping me here. I’ll be diligent though, there’s- Oh no”

There were faint figures moving in the distance, shimmering in the sun. Something about them seemed wrong, inhuman. Lauren dropped to her stomach in the sand. “Kevin, call me!” She ordered and then was gone.

Kevin was back in his kitchen. His third eye closed and it would probably be at least a few hours before he could open it again. He needed to talk to Lauren.

The radio station had a landline phone, but Cecil would not be happy to find Kevin in his station again. Not that Kevin cared about what Cecil thought, but the police could get involved and that wouldn’t be good. He also didn’t want anyone overhearing his call.

Kevin paced his apartment. There had to be something me could do. Something that would make productive use of his time and allow him an in into the town’s workings.

He needed a job.

Kevin threw on a jacket and grabbed his knives before heading out the door. He would look around town, see what needed to be done. Find a place that paid in whatever currency Night Vale operated under, and work. Under Strex, no one had any doubts about what they were supposed to do. Everyone had a purpose that committed equally to the betterment of the company.

<<+>>

As Kevin walked down the center street, he noticed one flaw in his plan. Nothing around town opened for at least another two hours. There was no one else around.

The sun was nearly fully risen. What was everyone doing still at home?

A figure moved in Kevin’s peripheral vision. He turned to see a blur of black disappear behind a building.

The town- with broken storefronts, debris everywhere, and stains on the streets that looked an awful lot like blood- was a little unnerving in the light of the morning. The elongated shadows gave the odd feeling that the town was abandoned.

Kevin walked down the road with his hands in his pockets. The sound of his polished shoes hitting the pavement echoed off the buildings and from somewhere, faint carnival music.

At first, he assumed the music was just coming from the radio. Then he passed a storefront with a large portable radio sitting in front, silent. All the radios in Night Vale switched on automatically when NVCR was broadcasting. It was a fact Kevin had found more than a little annoying when he and Lauren had been operating under cover. Even broken radios played Cecil’s show, beyond all logic.

Somebody else was playing the bouncy happy music. Probably just another citizen of Night Vale. Kevin shrugged it off.

Kevin stopped in front of a general store. The sign on the door was frustratingly vague.

_Hours:_

_Mon-Wed: 10ish to maybe 10?_

_Wed-Fri: 11ish to probably 10 but maybe only till 9._

_Sat & Sun: 11 for sure to 12. _

_Other/Unspecified: Closed._

Resigned, Kevin returned to his apartment. As he was approaching, looking up to appreciate the decorative designs in his window a Night Vale citizen helped him draw, he saw movement in his window. A human silhouette for a split second framed before it moved.

Kevin slid his knife free from its sheath and ran up the stairs. He stopped outside his broken door to catch his breath. Whoever was in his apartment may be armed, they could be looking to kill him. Kevin had no doubts about people in Night Vale hating him.

Kevin placed his left hand on his door and slowly pushed it open, keeping his right side free to attack. The door swung open silently and he stepped into his apartment. Nothing seemed different. The intruder had been in Kevin’s bedroom so that’s where he crept, walking on his toes to approach as quietly as possible.

The door was closed and Kevin pressed his ear to it. Silent as well. It was impossible for whoever it was to have left, there was only one set of stairs. Unless they used whatever magic the landlord’s dog used.

Kevin flung open the door and stepped in, ready to block a swing. The room was empty. The walls were covered in posters Kevin had not put there. All sorts of colors and pictures but with a common theme of “vote” and “the faceless old woman who secretly lives in your home”.

Written on the wall in what appeared to be blood but was actually ketchup, as Kevin found out after he swiped his finger through a still-wet letter and tasted it, was the word “Dana”.

Kevin checked every place he could think of a person hiding, in the large vents, in closets and in cupboards. No one. Whoever, or whatever, messed with his apartment, was long gone.

He set about cleaning the disaster off his walls. The posters were stuck on with a combination of ketchup and glue, which left sticky residue in some places and peeled off the paint in others. The work was annoying and difficult, but it was something to do. How they managed to do it in the half hour that Kevin was out of his apartment was a mystery.

He had just finished with the posters, dumping them on the floor to be taken out to the dumpster, when the radio burst to life. Sighing, he grabbed a glass of water and sat on his counter to cool off.

“Good morning Night Vale, good morning.” Cecil said. Kevin glanced out the window at the sun, shining in the dark orange sky, nearly at its peak. Morning was a little bit of an overstatement.

“Our first piece of news today comes from the faceless-” Kevin tuned Cecil out.  

<<+>>

He spent the rest of the day fixing whatever had been done to his room. The paint in some places was unfixable. It was the perfect opportunity to redecorate in a new way. After all, new and shiny fell out of fashion years ago.

He was also unfortunately treated to the rest of Cecil’s show as the day went on. The radio seemed to follow him around his apartment. After the “morning” news, there was a segment hosted by the station intern Maureen. It didn’t have much substance other than the woes of a teenage girl, but at least Kevin didn’t have to listen to Cecil.

After her segment, Kevin threw all of the posters into a garbage bag and carried them downstairs and out behind the apartment building to the dumpster. On his way back up, he bumped into the landlord and her dog. She was walking backwards down the stairs, muttering to herself. The dog was also walking backwards. Despite Kevin nearly flattening himself against the wall, she still hit him in the narrow staircase.

“Hello?” She called, blinking as if just waking up.

“Excuse me.” Kevin smiled and tried to step past her.

She turned around. Her curly hair was plastered to her face with sweat and she was holding small weights in each hand. “Hello!” She smiled again before meeting Kevin’s eyes, when her expression turned sour. “Kevin, right?”

“Yes.” Kevin nodded unsure. Cookie the scaly dog hissed.

“What are you doing here? You don’t live here anymore.” She said.

Kevin kept his eyes focused on the dog. There would be no hope of escaping unharmed in the cramped space. “I still own the apartment and there’s been no official note-”

“Consider this your last warning to get out.” She growled. “I’m not letting someone from Strex live in by building.”

“What if I buy it again?” Kevin met her eyes and smiled a company smile. “Or rent?”

She hesitated. “Finding another person to rent will be hard…” She muttered to herself. “Rent will be three hundred a month and one home cooked meal a week.”

Kevin nodded at the price, it wasn’t far off from his estimate. “Home cooked meal?” He asked.

“You live here, you make a homemade meal once a week.” She said.

“Do you want me to bring it to you?”

“No. Just make it for yourself.” She looked at him with her bulging eyes. “I collect rent on the first of every month. Bye.”

She and her dog turned around and continued walking backwards down the stairs. Kevin watched until she turned a corner.

He returned to his apartment. There was no doubt about it now, he absolutely needed a job that paid in Night Vale’s currency. He didn’t want to work some menial job under some boss but it seemed there was no other choice.

For the second time that day, he headed out into Night Vale.

The town was busy. Cleanup was still progressing slowly. Radios in nearly every store were playing the same song except for a select few who chose to listen to seemingly random numbers be listed by a female voice.

Nearly everyone Kevin passed on the streets stepped aside in fear. Few people made eye contact with him. Kevin tried to smile reassuringly to appear more friendly, but it seemed to make people be even more uncomfortable. No one else was smiling.

Someone tapped him on the shoulder and Kevin spun around, hand dropping to the hilt of his knife. “Hello!” The guy smiled with a little wave. Kevin nodded a non committal greeting. The glares from most Night Vale citizens was sad, but at least it was expected. This guy seemed to fit in just as well as Kevin. He was short and round, wearing a tuxedo that was at least four clashing colors and a top hat.

“The name’s Herschel, I’m looking for someone to help me with a task, but everyone seems so grumpy.” He mock frowns. “But you’re strolling with your head high and a smile on your face. You wanna help me out?”

Alarm bells were going off in Kevin’s brain. This guy was definitely up to something, and it probably wasn’t something he wanted to get involved in. On the other hand, it was the first genuinely smiling face Kevin had seen in the past two days. Whatever it was, Kevin was sure he could back out.

“Sure, I’ll help.” Kevin nodded. The man gestured for Kevin to follow and turned into an alleyway. Herschel led Kevin to a door painted the same obnoxious colors as his tux. A hidden speaker was playing carnival music.

Herschel unlocked the door and held it open for Kevin. Suppressing his anxieties, Kevin walked in.  “I have no idea what’s got this town’s panties in a twist.” He laughs, a deep belly laugh that seems to shake his whole frame.

“This town is always like this. I spent weeks trying to get them to smile.” Kevin looked around the small space. It was decorated like an office, though there was about as much space as a closet. Herschel closed the door behind him and the room seemed to be filled to its capacity.

On the wall were flyers advertising a carnival, decorated with pine trees and a circus tent.

Herschel sat in the one chair, Kevin leaned against the opposite wall. “What did you need me to do?” Kevin asked.

“Here’s the thing, I’m trying to start a new branch of my company here in Night Vale. But I don’t have the proper permissions and letters of recommendation,” Herschel said. “I want your help getting started in this town.”

“I’m not officially a citizen of Night Vale,” Kevin stated. Herschel pursed his lips. “I moved in with the company I work for-” Kevin cleared his throat. “Work _ed_ for,” he amended.

“How well did your company do?” Herschel asked.

Kevin shrugged. The pain of losing Strex was still fresh, and he didn’t want to think about the horrible defeat they suffered at the hands of a couple kids and tall masked warriors. “We were doing really well till we underestimated the town.”

“Perfect!” Herschel clapped his hands. “You will know exactly what we shouldn’t do.”

“I still don’t even know what you do or who you are?”

“None of that is important right now.” Kevin didn’t like the way Herschel was withholding information from him. “Just know that we are a strong company that wants to make people’s lives better and see smiles on peoples’ faces.”

“That’s what my company’s goals were too.” Kevin said.

Herschel handed Kevin a notebook with a dark green forest printed on the cover. “What I want you to do is easy. Take notes of what we need to do to secure a place in the town and really make a difference. You’ve done this before, so tell what worked and what didn’t. You provide good information, and you’ll be hired for good. Sound like a deal?” Herschel held out his hand.

After a moment of hesitation, Kevin took it. Find a job? Check. Begin to better the town? Check.


	5. The Sheriff's Secret Police

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, it's been a while. :P
> 
> Updates are being moved to once every two weeks. It just wasn't possible for me to keep up while still making chapters I'm proud of. Thanks for your continued support through this.

Kevin had his first run in with the secret police a week after he met Herschel.

He was writing in the journal and eating an apple when there was a loud pounding on his newly fixed door. Quickly, he slid the journal and pen into a drawer and answered the door.

Standing in the hallway were three secret police officers. Their matching balaclavas and blow dart guns gave away exactly what they were. 

“Kevin?” The one in the center spoke. He had a deep voice, deeper than what was natural for a human. The strip of skin showing around his eyes was dark and rich. 

“Yes?” Kevin answered. He did a mental checklist of his past few days and if he’d done anything to get in trouble. Nothing came to mind. By all accounts, he had been an upstanding citizen. 

The center guy spoke again, stepping forward uninvited into Kevin’s apartment. “You haven’t eaten your city council mandated Big Rico’s pizza this week.” 

“No one does pizza like Big Rico’s” The one on the left spoke. 

“ _ No one _ ” All three spoke in perfect harmony. Kevin slid his knife from its sheath and held it against his leg. He didn’t want to resort to fighting, it was three against one, but if it came to a fight, he wanted to be prepared.

The officer on the right said, “We have to take you to our secret location for-”

“He doesn’t need to know why Keese. Uh- I mean, fellow officer. We don’t have names. We’re secret and here for your protection.” The center guy stuttered out. “Just come with us and we promise you will be back home within 48 hours.” 

So they were going to take him away. It sounded like reeducation. Kevin was familiar with reeducation. It was a useful tool to remind absent-minded employees of their purpose. Kevin was always doing the reeducating, not on the other side. 

The one on the right, Keese apparently, detached her blow dart gun from her belt and slid a dart into it. 

“There’s no reason to dart me.” Kevin slid the knife back into its sheath and held up his hands. “I’ll come willingly.” Willingly was a bit of an overstatement Kevin thought. More like grudgingly. 

Keese shrugged and raised the straw to her lips. Kevin felt the small needle prick his neck before the world faded to black. 

<<+>>

Kevin woke up with a pounding headache. He rubbed the shaved hair on the side of his head and felt a lump that was not there whenever he was last awake. Around it felt like dried blood. 

The room he was in was dark. The only light was the TV stuck on a static screen. There was no sound at all and the silence was pressing enough that Kevin wondered for a second if he had gone deaf. 

He snapped his fingers and the sound filled the room, loud in the utter silence. He wasn’t deaf, that was something at least. He was missing both knives that he had on him. It wasn’t a surprising development, just a small piece of hope that the secret police would be stupider than he had expected. 

The only objects in the room were the bed, just a mattress and a metal bed frame, the TV, and a small wooden table in the corner. It felt like a cheap motel that you stopped at because there was nowhere else for miles and you just needed to sleep for a couple hours. Not that Kevin experienced many motels, or any motels. He had never left Desert Bluffs before coming to Night Vale. At least, that’s what his memory said. 

The headache wasn’t softening, so he closed his eyes and tried to relax. This wasn’t the worst situation he’d been in. If anything, secret police reeducation would be just like Strex. Kevin had been on the receiving end of reeducation. Of course, it was hardly a reeducation and more of an awakening. 

_ The room was sterile. That was the easiest way to describe it. Followed by the word “white”. Everything, the walls, the floor, the all too plush chair he was handcuffed too, was a blinding shade of untouched white. There was another person in the room as well. They were dressed in all white, only their skin and the near black of their eyes offered contrast.  _

_ He could struggle, but there was no point. He could talk his way out, but there wasn’t a point in trying. He’d already tried that. He had tried for nearly a year to do that. All he could do now was wait.  _

_ The other person smiled. Their pink flushed lips parted and twisted to reveal white teeth. White and sterile. There were too many teeth showing for a normal smile. They had a knife, and somehow that was white too. They didn’t raise the knife. Instead they opened their mouth, revealing a pink tongue behind the white teeth, and spoke. _

_ “Repeat after me, Mr. ‘Voice of Desert Bluffs’. Strex is here to help and improve.” Their voice was nondescript. _

_ The words tasted bitter in his mouth as Kevin repeated “Strex is here to help and improve.” _

_ “Hmm. I don’t think that sounded like you believed it.” He felt the knife point under his chin. They mad moved so fast. “Lets try again. Strex is here to help and improve.”  _

_ The second time Kevin said it, the words tasted just a little bit sweeter. _

_ Suddenly he wasn’t in the white room. He was in an office. Wood paneling on the walls and a desk that had to have cost more than what he made a year as a radio host.  _

_ He was standing in front of Lauren. She was younger, the smile lines on her face not so deeply etched in. She wasn’t smiling then, but she wasn’t frowning either.  _

_ “You’re going to be a wonderful addition to the company.” She nodded and her wide smile returned. Her lipstick was applied messily and took up way too much of her face. _

_ Kevin didn’t say anything. He only nodded.  _

The smell of pizza woke him up. He was still in the dark room with the static TV. He still had a headache. 

Sitting on the bed next to him was a small take out container with the lid open. Kevin sat up and tilted the box so the faint light would shine in. The pizza looked like pepperoni, with a thick crust and plenty of sauce. Briefly, Kevin wondered if it would be poisoned. If they wanted to poison him, he figured, they could have done it while he was unconscious for an undetermined amount of time. That was one thing that really bothered him about Night Vale, there was never an indication of time. Not even the sun and the moon followed a consistent schedule. 

Kevin added it to his mental list of things to fix about Night Vale. He picked up the slice of pizza and took a hesitant bite.

The pizza wasn’t bad by any means. Kevin just never had much of a taste for it. He could eat it, or he could eat something else, it never made a difference to him. The one thing the pizza did was remind him how hungry he was. It could’ve been a day or longer since he last ate.

He finished off the one slice, leaving the crust in the box, and stood up. The first thing he tried was the door, locked as expected. The second thing was the tv. There were buttons on the side that he pressed one by one. The first one just turned the TV off, plunging the room into total darkness. After he turned it back on, he found the channel change buttons and flipped through. 

A picture formed out of the static. A woman with graying hair and too many stress lines to count was standing on the front steps of city hall. Multiple microphones were being held in front of her face. There was still no audio. 

Kevin found the audio buttons but they had no effect. He couldn’t make out what she was saying, but she looked to be in a state of panic. 

_ Is Night Vale under attack?  _ Kevin wondered.  _ Or, are they finally realizing how devastated they are without the guidance of Strex to help them see the light? Of course, it could be from years ago, who knows.  _

Kevin watched as the woman spoke for a long while, occasionally with various actions like dancing or painting on a canvas that seemed to appear out of nowhere. After the sun behind her touched the horizon, she waved goodbye and disappeared into city hall. The program ended and the TV returned to static. 

None of the other channels were playing anything. He was left pacing the small cell. If they were going to torture him or reeducate him or something, they should just get on with it. The waiting was more painful than anything else. 

At some point, he got tired of pacing and collapsed back on the bare bed with a groan. He tried to steady himself by reciting the Strex manual. It only came to him in bits and pieces. In fact, he couldn’t even remember the last time he had recited it in full. It was something he did multiple times a day when he was working for Strex. How could he have just forgotten it?

_ It’s for the best. I can’t dwell on Strex. I have a new company to work for. Herschel and I will complete what Strex started.  _

He still found himself muttering bits and pieces of the Strex manual, various lines that he remembered. 

The lock clicked in the door. Kevin jumped to his feet. A secret police member stood in the doorway, framed in the blue light from behind them. 

“Come with me.” They said before turning and walking to the left. Kevin followed. Finally something was happening, even if that something wasn’t going to be pleasant to him. 

The walls of the hallway were stone and lit with fluorescent lights. Doors were spaced evenly along the wall and numbered. Kevin followed the officer down the long hallway and through a metal door labeled “Room 2-4”

Inside was a metal chair with handcuffs. There was a drain on the floor. Kevin stopped dead in the doorway. This wasn’t what he had expected. He didn’t know what he had expected, but the oddness of the secret police made him doubt they were capable of something as extreme as torture. 

_ Since when has torture been extreme? _ Kevin asked himself. It was something he had done weekly under Strex. It was something that had become routine. Why all of a sudden was he afraid now that he was on the other end? 

He took a breath to steady himself and stepped further into the room. The police officer was jotting notes on a clipboard with a large, black… something. They looked up and seemed to do a double take. “This is the wrong room.”

The correct room was next door. It wasn’t much different in size from the first room, but instead of the metal chair there was a wooden chair and a tv on a rolling cart. The officer gestured for Kevin to sit and powered on the TV. “Watch this video, and then you’ll be free to go.” 

The video was a collection of commercials for Big Ricos. Mostly TV ads but there would be the occasional radio ad. Sometimes the speaker was Cecil, sometimes it was someone else. Kevin estimated it took about ten or so minutes to complete. After the video was done, he was reminded that he needed to eat at Big Rico’s once a week and that he was free to go. 

Free to go was code for they were going to dart him again and dump him in the desert. 

The sun was low in the sky, either rising or setting, when Kevin woke again. He was sick of this stupid darting. He would have cooperated if they just asked. Fortunately, they had returned his knives to him, lying on the sand next to him. He stood up and brushed the sand off him before strapping the sheath back on his belt. 

He was in a small valley between dunes so he couldn’t see or be seen by anyone around. There was a paved road a couple hundred meters away, so that’s where Kevin walked. Just after he started, a black jeep drove by only to slam on its breaks. 

It took Kevin a second to recognize the guy who stepped out. Steve, Cecil had called him. The guy who had mothered him while he was stuck at the station. 

“Kevin?” Steve called. 

Kevin didn’t want to deal with him at this time, when his head was still swimming from the drug in the darts. He slowly approached the jeep though. If he needed to, he could easily steal it. 

“What are you doing out here? Was it the secret police? I know they like to dump people in the sand wastes but this isn’t close to any of their usual spots.” Steve continued. 

“Do you work for the secret police?” Kevin asked. 

Steve’s eyes widened. “No. Though, if I did, I’d probably deny anyways.” He laughed. “I get taken in a lot.” He rubbed the back of his neck and glanced at the sky. 

Kevin didn’t say anything. 

“You know, you look a lot better when you’re not smiling like a demon.” Steve laughed again, a loud bark of laughter. Kevin understood what Cecil seemed to have against the guy, he was annoying. 

What he said rubbed Kevin the wrong way. Someone always looked better when they’re smiling. It was something everyone should be doing at all times. Kevin must have let it slip, the drugs must have been getting to him more than he thought. That wasn’t good, he had to be a good example for everyone else. 

_ Smile. _ Lauren’s voice reminded him. She was right behind him, looking over his shoulder ready to remind him how a perfect Strex employee acts. Ready to take him to be told how a perfect Strex employee acts. 

Kevin stumbled over something and hit the sandy ground hard. A second later, he felt Steve’s hands on his shoulder. “Don’t over exert yourself, the drugs they use take a while to wear off.” 

Steve helped Kevin to a stand. As soon as he was sure that he wasn’t going to fall over again, Kevin pushed Steve off.  _ Why is this Night Vale-ian being so nice? _

Lauren’s voice was still echoing in his skull. He scanned the surrounding Desert, but she was nowhere to be found. She was never there to begin with. Kevin turned back to Steve with happy company smile on his face. 

Steve stepped back and glanced quickly at his Jeep, obviously regretting his decision to be nice. He still offered to drive Kevin back to Night Vale. 

Kevin opened his mouth to refuse but realized that he could easily die out here. He climbed in the passenger side of the jeep.

The whole drive back to Night Vale, easily twenty minutes, was silent. It wasn’t until they were driving past the part of Night Vale inhabited solely by teenage girls in green polos when Steve spoke up. 

“You remind me of Cecil in a lot of ways.” 

If Kevin had been drinking anything, he would have done a spit take. “What?”

“You’re self-reliant and won’t turn to anyone for help, even if it means bottling it up until it explodes.” Steve kept his eyes on the road and his expression was neutral. “You’re both strong willed and hold on to the things closest to you.” 

Kevin looked out the passenger window. He didn’t need this stranger analyzing him and comparing him to Cecil. Cecil was dangerous and refused to listen to someone who wanted nothing but to  _ help _ Night Vale.

On the other hand, Steve could be a valuable asset. Someone who both knows the town and trusts Kevin. 

No, Steve wasn’t someone he wanted to work with. He was too close to Cecil. Plus he was  _ annoying _ . 

Kevin didn’t respond and the rest of the drive was in silence. Kevin refused to tell Steve where he lived, so Steve dropped him off by Big Rico’s and Kevin walked the rest of the way. The streets were busy and people still glared at him as he walked. He felt hot eyes burning into the back of his neck. 

Still, he smiled. 

His apartment was exactly as he left it. He had no idea what day it was. It could still be the same day as when he was dragged off, or two days later. The lack of clocks in this town was beginning to infuriate him. 

His half eaten apple was still on the counter, brown and dried. The journal was untouched in the drawer and he pulled it out and flipped through the pages. It had taken him only a couple hours to fill nearly half of it with notes and warnings to Herschel. He paused on a page labeled “Secret Police”

_ Beware the secret police. Despite them not being very secret at all, they have a complex surveillance system and will arrest people for minor crimes. Employees often go missing for days and miss work, forcing them to make it up. It’s an incredibly wasteful use of employees who could be working hard but instead spend their time listening to private conversations.  _

He dug the pen out of the drawer and added in the margins.  _ Their methods of reeducation seem bizarre and ineffective. _

He should get the journal to Herschel. They could begin to build a strong base and-

Radio static. Cecil’s show was starting. 

_ Perfect timing. _ Everyone in Night Vale listened to Cecil’s show and it meant most people would be inside and settling down.

Kevin waited ten or so minutes into Cecil’s show before heading into town again. The daylight was gone and the few streetlights that hadn’t been busted in the rebellion were casting a soft golden glow. He heard the faint tones of Cecil’s voice coming from a radio somewhere, but the streets were nearly empty. He found the alleyway where Herschel’s office was and knocked. 

A few moments later and the door swung open. “Kevin! Hello again!” herschel’s wide build filled the whole doorway before he stepped back and motioned for Kevin to come in. 

The office had managed to get more crowded and claustrophobic in the past week. Kevin made sure the door was shut before he pulled out the small journal. Herschel took it and flipped through the pages, reading bits and pieces. He paused at one line and held it out to Kevin.  _ When encouraging employees to work hard, remind them that unproductive employees get laid off first. They usually recognize the importance of what they’re doing.  _

“What’s this about working?” Herschel asked. 

“Making sure everyone is working their absolute hardest is always top priority. Unproductive employees lead to down markets and-” 

“Our company doesn’t believe in working.”

Kevin was speechless. Herschel waved his hand in the air vaguely. “Well, it’s not like we don’t believe in  _ working _ . We believe in the few working for the benefit of the many. Anyways, I think this journal of yours will be a big help. Do you have any interest in learning about what we here at Carnival Central do?”

“Of course.” Kevin nodded. Herschel shuffled to the door and opened it.

“It’s a bit of a drive. Let’s go.” 


	6. Warnings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update my dudes! 
> 
> This chapter is very Herschel heavy, he's going to become a bit more of a prominent character as time goes on. Also he's so much fun. :P 
> 
> If you guys want, you can follow me on tumblr at hostileglitch.tumblr.com to talk or ask questions or just see what I do with what little free time that I have. Thanks for your continued support!

Kevin didn’t know what he was expecting when he and Herschel arrived, but a singular building surrounded on all sides by the endless and empty desert was not it. The building was grey and boxy, with no windows that Kevin could see. He climbed out of the car and shielded his eyes from the sun to get a better look. The building wasn’t very tall but it was wide. 

“It’s not much right now.” Herschel started walking toward the building, pulling keys out of his suit pocket. “But in a couple months this place will be looking fantabulous!” 

_ Fantabulous? _ Kevin rolled his eyes behind Herschel’s back. 

The inside of the building was only slightly more impressive than the outside. There was a wide hallway stretching to either side of the door. The center was an open space large enough to easily host a game of angerball. The walls were a solid grey and the only decorations, if they could even be called that, were signs hung on the wall in the hallway with a large black number written on them. 

“The numbers are for people to reserve booths.” Herschel must’ve noticed Kevin’s confusion. “Anyone will be able to come in and shop for locally made- well- anything!” 

“And what about the center room?” Kevin’s shoes echoed as he stepped into the massive space. 

“All sorts of things! There’ll be entertainment if the weather is too bad to be outside. We’re just waiting to see what inspiration strikes. But you’re not here to see a building. Let me take you to the real base of operations.”

Herschel led Kevin through a hidden door that blended in with the wall and down a few flights of brightly lit stairs. The walls here were painted in bright colors with polka dots and spirals scattered around. To Kevin, the place was an eyesore. It seriously needed some framed pictures of human teeth and maybe a little gore here and there. 

“So, what are you hoping to accomplish here in Night Vale?” Kevin asked. All this touring was nice and all, but he would rather know what he’s getting into. 

“We’re going to bring endless fun and happiness! Not only to Night Vale, but to the entire world!” With a flourish that knocked his top hat off his head and onto the tiled floor, Herschel swung open the door at the end of the hallway. 

It was another brightly colored room. Kevin was about to ask Herschel when he’d see anything important when he noticed the table in the middle of the room. It had a small scale replica of a carnival in it. And right at the center was the large building. Kevin approached slowly, taking in the intricacies of each tent and booth.

“Is this your plan?” Kevin ran his hand along one of the buildings. It was made with plastic and painted all sorts of bright colors. 

"Yes it is. We're basing it off of what we did in Pine Cliff." Herschel strode in, replacing his top hat on his rather bald head. 

  
Something about the name "Pine Cliff" struck a memory in the back of Kevin's mind. He had heard about it. Why did it seem so familiar?   
  
"Of course, there were some revisions made to the design. Pine Cliff was a success, but it could have gone on so much longer. There were still things that not everyone got to experience fully. We designed the Night Vale carnival so that the fun will last forever."    
  
Pine Cliff, the ghost town; Kevin remembered suddenly. No one knew what really happened to that town. He only remembered that when Lauren returned from her trip there, she had complained to Kevin all day about faint figures who couldn't accomplish anything.    
  
Kevin didn't ask about the town. It's never a good idea to pry into your boss's history. Instead, Kevin admired the model.    
  
It really was intricate. There was even faint lettering carved into the sign hanging over the door of the big building. 

"The only thing I'm wondering about is how this will be managed if you don't have anyone working?" Kevin asked. 

"We've thought of that. We have a bunch of happy volunteers from Pine Cliff who are willing to man the booths. And anyone from Night Vale that is being... difficult, will be assigned to help as well, if only for a short time." Herschel said. 

Kevin nodded. Herschel seemed to have everything all worked out. "Do you still want my help?"

"Of course!" Herschel grinned. "What are you good at? What do you want to do? There's still a lot that needs to be done."

"With Strex, I used to be the first person Lauren-" Kevin winced at her name but quickly covered his expression with a company smile. He still couldn't shake the feeling that she was still watching him. "I used to be the best at reeducation.”

“Reeducation?” Herschel asked.

“You know-” Kevin gestured vaguely searching for the right explanation. “Teaching people the correct way to think and forcing them to forget their old, wrong way. It’s very useful.”

“We like people to cooperate voluntarily. But I’ll keep it in mind.” Herschel walked towards the door and held it open, obviously wanting Kevin out. “I have an idea.” 

As Kevin walked past, he felt Herschel’s hand on his back. Kevin reached for his knife before stopping himself.

“You can continue being my insight into the town. I’ll deal with any expenses you might have. I’ll be in contact. Do you have a phone?” 

Kevin shook his head. He was climbing the stairs and Herschel’s hand was still on his back. 

“I’ll get you a phone when we get back into town.” 

“Thanks,” Kevin said. This wasn’t how he imagined getting a job, usually it involves much more pain and mental confusion. But a job was a job, and Herschel seemed like a good guy, if a little overbearing. 

The drive back to Night Vale was mostly awkward silence. Awkward to Kevin at least. Herschel was humming along with the radio and seemed to be unaware of Kevin’s increasing discomfort. 

They made two stops in town. The first one was at the phone store, where Herschel told Kevin to “hang tight for a sec” and returned with the newest model of phone. 

The second was to stop at Big Rico’s pizza at Kevin’s request. He explained to Herschel the bizarre rule about eating there once a week. Kevin ordered a slice of pizza despite the hatred burning in the waitress's eyes. Again, Herschel didn’t seem to notice as he happily paid for both his own and Kevin’s. 

After their pizza was finished they left, passing a booth filled with an uncountable number of figures in hooded cloaks.

<<+>>

His finger hovered over the call button. He had typed in Lauren’s number at least three minutes ago, but he still hesitated. 

_ There’s nothing to be afraid of, just call _ . He pressed the button and raised the phone to his ear. She picked up on the first ring.

“Hello?” She asked. Her voice was scratchy and raw. 

“Lauren? It’s Kevin.” 

"Thank the Smiling God, Kevin!" She gasped. "I told you to call me like a week ago, what took you so long?"

"My phone was lost and I couldn't just buy a new one. Thankfully, this guy I met was nice enough to buy me one." Kevin opened his fridge and picked out a yogurt cup to eat. "I've kinda started working for him." 

"What about Strex?" 

"Gone. Sold to some angel-" Kevin heard a faint cough from somewhere in the ceiling, "Not an angel, because angels don't exist. Anyway, it's been completely disbanded. There's no trace of it left in the town at all."

"My precious Strex." Lauren muttered. Kevin didn't say anything for a couple seconds, she needed a chance to mourn. A couple seconds was long enough, right? After all, Lauren was a practical person. 

"Where are you?" Kevin ventured. "Still in the desert by the mountain?"

"Yes." Lauren said. "There's a lighthouse on top of the mountain as well. I only noticed it a couple of hours ago when I circled around far enough to see it."

"And what of those figures in the distance? The ones you seemed so..." Kevin was going to say scared of, but realized that Lauren was never scared. Only cautious. 

"I've still been avoiding them. They're huge Kevin! At least twenty feet tall and they wear these odd masks." Lauren talked a little more about the desert surrounding her and Kevin listened. It was almost like how things were before Night Vale had its stupid little rebellion. 

"But enough about me." Lauren eventually said. "You mentioned a new employer? It's sad that you've given up on Strex so easily, but I understand."

There was her tone again. The tone that threatened to take Kevin away for more reeducation. "His name is Herschel, he's going to start a carnival here in Night Vale?"

"A carnival?" Lauren echoed incredulously. "Can't you do a little better than that? Wouldn't you want to be on the radio?"

"I tried to be on the radio. Listen, Lauren. It's late and I have things that need to be done tomorrow." Kevin threw his only half eaten yogurt into the trash. His appetite was gone. "Until next time Lauren."

"Until next time, Kevin." She sounded bitter. Kevin didn't really care.

Standing in the silence of his apartment, Kevin could hear the final words of Cecil’s broadcast coming from some radio hidden somewhere. It seemed like every night Kevin was awake to hear the ending of the show. 

He rinsed his spoon off and placed it in the dishwasher before heading off to get ready for bed. 

<<+>>

The next couple weeks passed in a blur of being really busy and doing nothing at all. Kevin talked with Lauren on the phone occasionally, but the conversations were brief. Herschel called often asking for advice on certain people or businesses in town.

It wasn’t until Herschel asked if Kevin would meet him at the Arby’s when things got interesting. 

He recognized Cecil immediately. He was sitting on the hood of Herschel’s car chatting and sipping something. Kevin was tempted to turn around and tell Herschel that he couldn’t make it. But Herschel noticed him and waved him over before he could escape. 

“Cecil.” Kevin nodded at Cecil.

“Kevin.” Cecil scowled. 

“Great, you two know each other!” Herschel grinned. 

Cecil slid off the car to stand face to face with Kevin. “You can’t trust this guy Herschel. He’s dangerous.” Cecil’s third eye was 

“ _ I’m _ dangerous?” Kevin asked. “You’re the one who forced your town to fight a battle because you didn’t want to see your town change.” 

“Your changes were destroying my town.” Cecil protested. 

Herschel cleared his throat. “Now this isn’t a very fun-“

“We were helping your pathetic little town.” Kevin pulled his magic together into an eye of his own. The world around him grew into sharper focus. Every detail in everything around him was clear. Cecil was holding a chocolate milkshake, evidenced by the rim of the cup. Herschel’s car was new and pristine without a spot of rust or damage on it anywhere. Cecil was reaching for a weapon underneath his pink and blue fur jacket.

Kevin grabbed Cecil’s wrist with the intention of knocking him off balance and onto the hard pavement. But the second Kevin touched Cecil’s arm, he felt his magic shift and he was seeing something completely different. 

_ Trees. A lot of trees. More than even in the mysterious forest that liked to whisper compliments to people. They were tall and thick stretching into the canopy above. Kevin had no idea where we was or why he was here. The air was warm like it was only a second earlier, but it was damp and heavy. _

_ He heard an animal call in the distance. Birds chirping above him. The scene was peaceful except for the feeling of loss and fear in the air. Something bad was happening. Or just happened. Kevin couldn’t quite tell. All he knew is that he was escaping from something and he had to keep moving.  _

_ He walked quickly through the woods, watching his step and following whatever faint trail he could see. Every step brought him further away from whatever it was. He kept moving deeper and deeper into the woods. The trees seemed to grow around him, getting wider and taller the further he went. The birdsong faded. The once peaceful background noise was laced with fear. He was almost running now, dodging trees and rocks until his foot caught on a root and he tripped, sprawling face first into the dirt and leaves.  _

_ He had to go back.  _

The desert, the Arby’s, the shining silver car and the round man in a top hat was back. Kevin was back in Night Vale. He stumbled back from Cecil, forcing his third eye to close. 

“What did you do?” Cecil asked, bracing himself on the car with one hand and clutching his head with the other. 

“I didn’t do anything. It just happened.” Kevin said. He had a faint headache. The vision was etched into his head. 

Herschel stepped in between Cecil and Kevin, frowning. “What happened? Your eyes, the hieroglyphic kinda ones, they switched. Only for a second.”

“There was a room and some kids and…” Cecil took a deep breath. “You’re fucked up.” He spat at Kevin. 

He must’ve seen a piece of Cecil’s past. And Cecil must have seen a piece of his. Though what, Kevin had no idea. He never interacted with kids if he could avoid it. They screamed to much. 

“Maybe we should go inside? Cool off? I can get you a shake if you want one Kevin?” Herschel grabbed Kevin’s elbow and began to drag him towards the door. He reached out to grab Cecil as well, but pulled back. Obviously he didn’t want to serve as some kind of conductor for whatever magic caused the visions. 

Cecil took a step back. “I better get going. It was nice to meet you Herschel.” He didn’t even glance at Kevin. 

“Nice to meet you too! Think about my offer, will you?” Herschel waved.

Cecil waved in return and turned sharply away. Kevin pulled his arm out of Herschel’s grip. 

“What’s this offer you’re talking about?” Kevin asked. “Don’t trust Cecil, he’s only focused on himself.” 

“I’m sure he’s fine. After all, I’m not going to let a small disagreement between employees compromise my plan.” Herschel gave him a stern look. “Surely you can recognize that?"

Kevin nodded unconvinced.

“I offered Cecil the spot of working on the carnival radio once we open. He seems perfectly qualified and I’m sure he can be trained to be a little happier sounding.” Herschel said.

“I’ll do the radio.” Kevin offered. He reformed his third eye, shifting it from his forehead to the back of his right hand. Herschel’s eyes followed it before snapping back to meet Kevin’s. 

Herschel patted Kevin’s shoulder. “I know you’re not friends but he’s just more qualified.” 

“I’ve been doing radio just as long as he has. I have the third eye for a reason, they don’t just give it to anyone. Not to mention I won’t run off the second something more interesting shows up.” Kevin smiled a company smile that always worked on Lauren. 

“So it was a gift? I assumed it was just something Cecil, and you, were born with.” Herschel changed the topic. 

Kevin looked down at the glowing white and orange eye on the back of his hand, hovering slightly over his tattoos. “It was. I don’t remember from where or when I got it though."

His vision was doubled slightly, his regular vision had priority at the moment but there was a slight angle of overlay of himself as he saw through the eye. Heschel seemed interested. “I wonder if Cecil knows. It’s a very cool trick and would make for an interesting carnival trick.”

“Stay away from Cecil unless you’re going to chain him up and keep him from interfering. He’s the reason my company failed. He seemed like he was on our side, but switched in a second and forced the whole town to fight.” Kevin stepped close into Herschel, who’s breath smelled like sugar and fake strawberry. “Don’t trust Cecil, but don’t get on his bad side.” 

Herschel gulped and stepped back. It was the first time Kevin had seen him anything other than happy. It made Kevin smile just a little bit more. “Stay away from Cecil, got it.”

“I’ll always be here to help though.” Kevin held out his hand and Herschel shook it. It was perfect, Kevin thought, have Herschel coming to him instead of the other way around.

Herschel excused himself and left, saying that he was going to reevaluate a couple of his plans. Kevin returned to his apartment in a better mood than he had all week. The only thing that went wrong was whatever happened with Cecil. That forest and the lingering feeling that he was running wasn’t going away anytime soon. 


	7. Nice Kind of Nothing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't really have anything to say here. Have a great day/night everyone!

Herschel texted a couple hours later, while Kevin was picking up a few groceries under the distrustful gaze of the grocery store clerk. At least, the gaze seemed distrustful. They were an actual lizard, and lizards have very limited facial movement. But Kevin met their eyes and they scampered back onto the cash register to check another customer out. 

_ Sorry about this afternoon! Would you be interested in hosting our carnival radio show instead?! It would be great to have you!! _

Kevin was getting more than a little annoyed with Herschel’s constant and relentless use of exclamation points in his texting. Despite that, Kevin smirked at the text. 

_ Of course. When are we going on air?  _ He replied back. 

The response came a few minutes later, as Kevin was waiting with windeling patience as the lizard scanned each item by pushing it past the scanner. He’d already offered to do it himself but was denied.  _ Probably not for another month to month and a half! There’s still so much to do to get ready!! _

That was so long to wait. So much could go wrong in the meantime. He sent back a quick text acknowledging the answer and leaned against the counter, watching the lizard work. 

It took another twenty minutes for him to leave the store. He paid with a pink and purple card Herschel lended him that looked way too flashy to be real, but the lizard seemed to accept it without question. Again, Kevin wasn’t exactly sure.

As he walked down the main street of Night Vale, he noticed how much the town had recovered from- replaced- Strex. The signs of the battle were nearly gone. The street and storefronts looked nearly identical to when Kevin first stepped foot into the town, assessing its potential as the next step for Strex. 

_ I need to stop remembering Strex _ . Kevin reminded himself. He took a deep breath to clear his head.  _ I’m working for the Pine Cliff Carnival.  _

In his distracted state, Kevin almost ran face first into someone. It was his landlord, the woman with the bulging eyes. Thankfully, her demon dog wasn’t with her. 

Kevin nodded a greeting and tried to step off to the side but the woman grabbed his arm and held on with frightening strength. 

“Can I ask you a couple questions quick? Great, thanks.” She dragged Kevin under the awning of a store and stared at him. “I’ve been getting complaints about your place. That there’s the stench of blood and death seeping from it. I don’t have a sense of smell, so I don’t know for sure. Do you know about this?”

“I did decorate it, but anything I’ve done has been following the rules. I agree, it needs some updates.” Kevin said. 

She nodded slowly. “Well, I hired someone to clean it. They’re probably done by now. Free of charge.”  She looked at him expectantly. 

Kevin slid his knife out of its sheath. “I guess I’ll just have to redecorate.” The woman didn’t react, just stared with her unblinking eyes. Then she turned and left, continuing down the street like nothing had happened. 

Muttering about privacy, Kevin walked quickly back to his apartment. He hadn’t been back since he’d met Herschel at the Arby’s and he was dreading what he’d find once inside. 

He could smell lemons before he even stepped out of the stairwell. It was overpowering. He coughed as he unlocked his door and pushed it open. 

It hardly looked like his apartment anymore. All of the counters were grey without a single trace of blood or skin on them. The carpeted floor wasn’t squishy at all. And the smell of lemons was so overbearing that it was causing Kevin’s eyes to water. 

“You know, this is so much of an improvement.” A voice said from somewhere. Kevin spun around, but there was no one in sight. “I was getting a little sick of all the gore.”

Kevin couldn’t find a source of the voice, but it sounded like it was coming from somewhere to his right. He held up his knife. “Where are you?”   


“You obviously don’t know who I am?” “Were you the one who ruined my apartment?” Kevin asked, listening for the voice. It sounded like it was coming from one of the cabinets in his kitchen, the question was which one. 

“Unfortunately, no. That was the cleaning man. He was very efficient.” Kevin had a pinpoint on the quiet voice.

Kevin prepared to throw the knife. “Get out of my place.”

“I’ve always been here, and I’ll be here after you’re gone. You can’t get rid of me. I’m the faceless old woman who secretly lives in your home.”

Kevin let the knife flying, twisting it so the handle would smack the door of the cabinet instead of the blade. The knife bounced off with a loud bang and clattered onto the counter. 

“What was that for?” The woman asked, in a different spot than before, off to Kevin’s left. 

Kevin opened his third eye and looked for the woman again. He noticed a piece of silver hair catching the evening sunlight next to his couch. He slowly approached, keeping his eyes open for any movement or disturbances.

There was no one. No one anywhere. Just the silver hair settling on the carpet. 

Kevin closed his third eye again and rubbed his forehead. He needed something to calm himself down. Everything was changing so quickly. He could hardly figure out what’s been going on inside his own mind.

He kicked off his shoes and collapsed on the couch. Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep. 

_ The trees, the forest stretching endlessly on in all directions was back. But this time it was different. There wasn’t fear or anxiety in the air. Just silence.  _

_ A bird started singing somewhere in the canopy above him. He looked up, and saw bits of a bright blue sky through the thick leaves. More birds joined in the song.  _

_ Suddenly, there was a loud crash next to him, the sound echoing off the trees and breaking the peaceful silence. A tree had fallen, missing him by mere inches. More started falling, and they disappeared as they hit the ground. The birds continued to sing. Louder and more intense than ever. Their song wasn’t normal. It was screeching and warning.  _

_ Where the trees once stood, buildings began to grow out of the ground. Stretching up impossibly high. More trees continued falling and more buildings grew.  _

_ The birdsong stopped.  _

Kevin started awake. It took him a moment to remember where he was, his apartment was so odd looking without all of the blood and human teeth scattered around. It was dark, the sun had set long ago.

The radio was playing a slow song, singing about love. 

The dream was slipping from Kevin’s mind. He closed his eyes again as the song faded out and Cecil’s voice returned. Except he wasn’t alone. He was on the phone with Carlos.

Kevin didn’t know what to think about the scientist. On one hand, he had been a pain in Strex’s butt, outsmarting Strex in new ways every day. On the other, he was aesthetically pleasing to look at. He was also Cecil’s boyfriend, and that didn’t seem like it was going to change anytime soon. 

He sighed as he stood up and stretched, sore from lying on the couch for so long. The voices on the radio faded into background noise as Kevin went into the bathroom to brush his teeth. 

<<+>>

Unfortunately, though the promise of a strong future job with the the Pine Cliff Carnival was there, it did nothing to starve off Kevin’s boredom. He was back at his apartment after taking a walk around Night Vale long before anyone else was awake. He didn’t want to go into town when it was busy if he could avoid it. For the most part, people had stopped giving him dirty looks, but he was still uneasy.

There was a sharp knock on his door. Kevin stood and looked in time to see a flyer pushed under his door. Printed clearly on the front was the Pine Cliff Carnival logo.

He picked it up, frowning at the outlandish color scheme. The flyer looked like it was designed by a five year old. On the back was a long paragraph. 

_ To whom it may concern. _

_ In six weeks time, there is going to be a wonderful carnival coming to Night Vale! We would like to create the best experience for everyone and we at Carnival Central request your help!  _

_ We request that you begin to decorate your homes and businesses to support and build excitement for the upcoming carnival. There’s nothing to bring joy into a normally dull and drab life like a little color.  _

_ As currently planned, the carnival will include an amusement park, many carnival games and food stalls, and our own, fully furnished, hotel extravaganza! The whole event is fully staffed with happy and ready volunteers so there’s no need to worry about wasting valuable fun time working.  _

_ If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Carnival Central at 555-3242. _

Kevin scanned the flyer absentmindedly. Just a typical advertisement. He was about to toss it to the side when he noticed something. Throughout the flyer, they used “we”. As far as Kevin knew though, it was just Herschel. There was never mention of anyone else, whether they were partners or high-ups.

Kevin debated sending a text to Herschel to ask but decided against it. Herschel was probably busy, and Kevin didn’t want to bother the guy. It would give Kevin a bad image. Plus, if there was something Kevin wasn’t supposed to know, he’d rather not let on that he’s investigating. And investigate he was going to do.

For the first time since he’d met Herschel, Kevin searched Pine Cliff Carnival online. The top result was just a barebones website stating pretty much the same information that was in the flyer. The second was a news article from years and years ago, longer than Kevin had been with Strex. It told the story of Pine Cliff, forced to abandon all sustaining businesses and utilities and join the carnival. The town, and extension the carnival, was forced to close after they ran out of food and drink and people began to die. 

The author ended the article by wondering if they were really dead, and that Carnival music would still be heard echoing over the sand wastes. 

There was nothing else of significance about the Carnival.

Well, all companies had their ups and downs. After all, Strex didn’t start as a big business. It started small as any other company did. Or, maybe it always was. Maybe, like the smiling god, it was there from the beginning to spread happiness and productivity. Kevin hardly knew at this point.

Kevin cleared his history from his laptop, a habit he’d never bothered to break. Quickly, he was back to being bored. There was simply nothing to do in this stupid town except sit and wait for something interesting to happen. 

<<+>>

Nothing interesting did happen all that day. Kevin stopped at Big Rico’s to pick up his mandatory pizza for the week and the hooded figures were still there. There was still an uncountable number of them, as some left and others arrived, the appearance of cloaks shifting never changed. 

Cecil talked briefly on his show about the flyer, saying he’ll probably spruce up the station in preparation for the event. 

Afterwards, he talked more about the new mayor. 

The days and nights in Night Vale seemed to stretch on endlessly. It didn’t help that, as Cecil so happily reported on the radio three days later, the days in Night Vale had been the longest on record in the past twenty years. He assured the citizens that the days would be resuming their normal length soon. 

Kevin didn’t  _ want _ to listen to Cecil’s show almost every day. But the radio insisted on playing and seemed to follow him around. If he plugged headphones into his phone, his phone started playing it. If he was out in town, all of the stores were playing it. It’s like the town revolved around it. 

The one place Kevin had taken to finding solace was the roof of his apartment building. It was accessible through a ladder in the hallway and it looked over most of the town. From up there, he would watch the people of Night Vale go about their evenings. 

The sunsets in Night Vale really were something to behold. Each night, the sky broke into colors that were almost hard to perceive. There was a distance screeching and grinding in the distance, but Kevin payed it no mind.

Part of Kevin longed for something to do, something to take up his day and finally give him a purpose. Some other part enjoyed the quiet of the town. Sitting on the edge of the roof, twisting a stray thread from his shirt around his finger. 

It was a nice kind of nothing. 


End file.
